Make Our Own Music
by Animegirl1129
Summary: Balthazar and Dave go through 10 song inspired snapshots.  10 Song Challenge


Make Our Own Music

_**Uh, I totally cheated on the rules. And I totally don't care. This took forever to do and some of them are longer than others, but the important part is that it's done. Finally. And I'm happy with it. Numbers 5, 8 and 10 are slashy, everything else is safe for the rest of you. Character's aren't mine. Enjoy!**_

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**1. All That I'm Asking For / Lifehouse**

The day after they defeat Morgana, their powers disappear. Everyone's – Balthazar, Veronica, Dave. All of them. It's as if now that the battle is over, there is no longer a need for magic to exist in the world anymore.

"Now what?" Dave asks, as he and Balthazar sit together in the lab. Veronica's off somewhere, enjoying what she's always wanted – being normal. She and Balthazar have already had one very loud shouting match over the loss of their powers and Dave really isn't looking forward to round two. "I guess you don't have to train me now. Are… are you going to leave?"

His Master looks utterly distressed without the ability to do magic, like someone might as well have cut off his arms. He's lived with it for 1300 years, it has to be as ingrained into him as breathing by this point.

"Balthazar?"

"No, Dave." He says after a long, long moment of absolute silence. He recalls his promise to Merlin – that the one he found would be his apprentice, would defeat Morgana and all those who followed her – and how long he spent looking versus how long it took to end, and realizes that this just can't be happening. "I'm not going anywhere."

"You think we can get it back." It's not a question, because Dave can already see the answer written all over Balthazar's face. He wants to tell him that he's crazy – even if it is just a little bit – and that he wants not part of this at all, but… "I'm in if you are."

**2. Just For / Nickelback**

When Dave shows up at the lab something like an hour late, with bruises and a bloody nose and a black eye, Balthazar goes from annoyed to furious in under a second.

"What," he growls, eyes assessing the damage done to his apprentice, "happened?"

Dave swallows hard as he hobbles over to one of the stools haphazardly placed around the room and sighs like he hasn't had a chance to sit down in a thousand years. "Nothing." He replies, doesn't really want to move his face enough to let the explanation out.

Balthazar's eyes narrow. "You are still a horrible liar, Dave." He conjures up something or the other, Dave isn't quite focused enough to be sure what it is, but when Balthazar presses it to his face, it no longer feels as if someone kicked it. Which is impressive, since that's exactly what happened. "Talk."

Through the eye that is not swollen shut, he watches his Master tense as he relays the events that caused his lateness. A group of thugs had caught him taking a shortcut through an alley that he should have known better than to go near. There'd been too many of them, and he hadn't even had a chance to use his powers before it was over.

"Stay here, rest." Balthazar mumbles at him, already headed toward the door. "The lesson will wait."

Dave doesn't ask where he's going.

**3. You're Gonna Go Far, Kid / The Offspring**

Dave is alone when he stumbles – quite literally, his inherent clumsiness rears its ugly head and nearly sends him rolling down the subway steps – upon Mordred. He and Balthazar have been hunting him for months now and while Dave had been expecting to find him here, a meeting quite this close was a little bit more than he expected.

"You?" Dave gapes, mostly because Mordred looks all of about twelve years old, even though Balthazar has warned him of the sorcerer's power, that Mordred was the one to kill King Arthur.

Mordred doesn't look terribly intimidated by the Prime Merlinian, either, all things considered. "Your watchdog isn't around today, I see." The boy comments idly, and the fingertips he points toward Dave are already glowing red with what will likely soon be plasma bolts. "I have to say, I was expecting a little bit more of a challenge from the one who defeated Morgana."

Dave backs away, trying to get a little bit more distance between them. "Hnng, likewise. I thought you'd be taller." He closes his eyes and tries to think of something, anything, to keep from starting a fight just yet. "I… I'm glad we could meet alone. I think. Balthazar and I, we don't always get along, you see, and I was hoping… Maybe we could work together. Or something."

This request seems to surprise Mordred, because his magic fizzles down in his hands. "You're serious."

"Ask Balthazar. Ask… well, anyone. I am not a good liar."

The hand lowers. What they were waiting for.

Balthazar appears from out of nowhere behind Mordred, hits him with a spell that'll keep him still long enough to give Dave a chance to get rid of him. It's over in minutes, one of the cleanest and easiest fights they've had thus far.

"You're getting better, though." Balthazar snorts at him, as they head out. "With the lying. And the magic, but mostly the lying."

"Only because I wasn't lying. We can never agree about the shoes."

**4. One Day, Robots Will Cry / Cobra Starship**

Balthazar Blake has spent 1300 years looking for the Prime Merlinian. He's wandered over continents, through wars and plagues and disasters that the rest of the world only knows about through contrived history textbooks and lectures. He's gone through hundreds, maybe thousands, of potential leads, but he always ends up disappointed.

In 1300 years, he has found nothing.

To tell the truth, he's been starting to lose hope – maybe he missed the Prime Merlinian somewhere along the line. Maybe he's really let Merlin down.

It's only after a lead in New Jersey falls through that he goes to New York. He sets up Arcana Cabana, a front he's used in a couple of places before, and wonders how long he'll stay here before he moves on to somewhere else. It's not like he's ever going to find the Prime Merlinian anyway.

Three days later, one awkward and gangly ten year old comes running into the store. He's a little scared of Balthazar's daunting presence, and a horrible liar, but the dragon ring proves what the sorcerer already knows.

1300 years of hunting and the Prime Merlinian, one David Stutler, walks right to him.

**5. Strange & Beautiful (I'll Put A Spell On You) / Aqualung**

You spend all night pacing back and forth and back and forth across the floor of the lab. You haven't slept, because you've been awake all night trying to figure out if you made the right call last night when you'd cast the spell, wondering if it would even work.

It seemed like a good idea, really. Dave has been miserable for weeks now, ever since Becky up and left without any explanation at all. You know the reason, you just don't want to tell him that you caught her cheating with some guy from the radio station when you went looking for Dave one afternoon. You're not sure how he'll react and you're not really eager to find out. But, you've been there, keeping him busy and occupied and trying to take his mind off of her. If your plan works, though, you won't have to, because he won't care about her anymore. Just you.

"Mmrngh…" Comes a grumbled, barely conscious groan from the direction of the couch.

"Dave," You call out, curious to see if the spell had the desired effect. "Dave, wake up. You're going to learn these teleportation incantations today if it kills me." He's not stirring, so you approach the sofa and nudge it with your foot. "Dave."

Bleary, brown eyes blink up at you as if they've never seen you before. "…Balthazar?"

It's a logical move, you tell yourself, when you realize that he's staring at you like that because the spell worked. He'll be more focused now, you won't hurt him, no one else will hurt him or take him away from you, and maybe this way you won't be lonely anymore, either. "Yes, Dave?"

Dave sits up abruptly and drops his gaze to his hand, where he's absently spinning his dragon ring. You can practically hear his mind whirring as it processes this new information – even though it's not really new, just a new interpretation – and you see his face flush and his eyes dilate, hear his breath hitch. "I- I'm… N-no, nevermind."

For a second, you think it didn't work. That maybe he can block this kind of magic more easily than he can block plasma bolts and fire balls. But, he's still playing with the ring like it means things you hadn't intended for it to, and he looks more nervous than he did the day you first met him.

"Dave," you say again, but he's on his feet and trying to escape, muttering excuses and reasons to stall your planned lesson. You catch his wrist as he tries to brush past you. "Not so fast, kid." On impulse, you pull him in closer and you're really only something like centimeters apart now. "You are still a horrible, horrible liar, you know that, right?"

You watch him closely and when he looks absolutely mortified and about ready to bolt for the door because he knows that you know exactly what he's feeling, you grin. And he doesn't protest when your hand curls around the back of his neck, instead he leans into the touch, and when you cut across the last of the space between you to kiss him, he is most certainly not running away from you.

It had to have been a good decision, you're sure of it.

**6. Run / Snow Patrol**

The room they're being held captive in is freezing cold and they've both pretty much given up on ever being warm again. Their rings are gone, they haven't been given food or water in days, they're both injured and residually bloody from the fight that got them locked up in here, and Balthazar is probably dying.

Their situation is not looking promising.

"B-Balthazar?" Dave mumbles, voice rough and hoarse. "Balthazar, come on, how do we get out of here?" He looks down at Balthazar, whose head is resting in Dave's lap and wishes they could curl up together like they did the first night, but Balthazar barely looks up to breathing let alone moving enough to allow for that. "Hey, old man, talk to me, please?"

Balthazar coughs and grumbles, looks up at him through hazy blue eyes and winces when Dave's hand shifts against the deep wound on his side. "It'll… it'll be okay, Dave."

But it won't be okay, and Dave knows that. They're trapped here, Balthazar's _dying_, and Veronica went rogue on them. Sold them out to a bunch of powerful Morganians before they'd even known they were being targeted. "I'll get us out of here, okay? I… I'll find a way to get you away. And then we'll hide out until you're better. And we'll stop them. You and me, okay, Balthazar?"

"Liar." His master chokes out, but the hand that isn't clutched over Dave's over the wound comes up to tug at Dave's collar, pulling him down so that he can talk quietly. They both know they're being watched. "You… you have to get out. You, not me." His hand moves to run through Dave's hair, tangled and sticky with dried blood and dirt and grime, but this is more than he's said at once in days. "Find a way, Dave."

"You're more than just a little insane if you think I'm leaving here without you."

Balthazar shakes his head and looks frustrated, but Dave is having none of it.

"There is not a chance in hell that I'm leaving you here with the Morganians. Either both of us get out of here, or neither of us, Balthazar." He replies firmly. "Besides, even if I were willing to leave, I couldn't. You know they took our rings and I haven't done magic without mine since…" Since Morgana. Since the last time he saved Balthazar. "I… I've been trying to," he nods toward the hand pressed over the bloody wound and something like a choked sob escapes his lips. "Since they locked us in here, I've been trying. But nothing works."

But his master doesn't say anything else. Minutes and hours and maybe even days pass by before Dave actually admits to himself that Balthazar isn't going to say anything ever again.

He pulls his hand away from the wound that has long since stopped bleeding and gently maneuvers Balthazar's head to the ground. Then, he stands and walks toward the guarded door. Something in him breaks, just shatters and he can practically hear it as thousands and millions of little tiny shards hit the ground. But, he's throwing plasma bolts and fire balls and everything he can at the door because if Balthazar's gone, Dave is damn sure going to take revenge on the ones responsible before he follows after.

**7. Stranger / Secondhand Serenade**

Balthazar is in no particular hurry as he ducks around the corner of the nearest building when the unknowing target of his surveillance whirls around in his direction again. He's done it several times now, as if he can sense the phantom figure trailing him home. An impressive feat for a ten-year old up against the powers of a Sorcerer of the 777th degree.

"You're losing your mind, Dave." The boy shakes his head and walks on when he sees nothing, and Balthazar pauses for a few seconds before he continues after the one who will be his apprentice.

He knows that Dave is the one he's been searching for, even if Merlin's Ring hasn't proven it yet. The Prime Merlinian, the one who will defeat Morgana, is right in front of him. All he has to do is figure out how to go about explaining it to the boy.

His eyes scan through the crowd of people on the busy street with practiced ease, but something like alarm flares in his chest when he doesn't see one David Stutler continuing on his way back to the little white house at the end of the street. This is hardly the first time he's trailed David home, and he never detours off the path, so where is he?

No one around looks alarmed, but then he hears the voices in the alley a little ways down.

"Hey!" Someone shouts and it's only pure instinct that tells him that it's Dave. "Stop! Get off of me!" He hears young Dave's shouts of protest cut off by what sounds like a punch landing. Instinct doesn't have to tell him that Dave was on the receiving end.

He moves faster, fists curling at his sides as he walks and he can already feel the magic pooling at his fingertips. No one gets to hurt Dave.

A tall, older man – older in appearance, anyway, since Balthazar is pretty sure he's older than pretty much everyone – has David by the arm. Dave's struggling and shouting, but they're too far down and the only person who can save him is well prepared to do so. The man doesn't know what hits him when he goes flying back against the wall, away from David. He puts himself between the boy and his attacker without a thought, and with even more determination we he sees that the man is armed with a knife.

Balthazar's eyes narrow as rage builds and builds inside him. Electricity licks out from his fingertips, but he doesn't have time for that right now. "If you ever, ever go after him or any other kid again, I will find you." He warns the man, and with another subtle blow courtesy of his powers, the man slumps to the ground.

"Um," Dave says, thoroughly panicked and terrorized. "Thanks?"

Balthazar turns his back on the man and kneels beside the boy. "You okay there?"

Dave nods and stares at the blown out knees of his jeans. "He hit me," Dave explains, as he curls an arm around his stomach. "And then I fell, and then you showed up."

"Well, Dave," He says, pointing to the backpack that fell from the boy's shoulder when the struggle began in explanation as to how he knows his name. "I'm Balthazar. And I'm glad I could help you." He bites his lip, wondering if this is a good time to make sure he's on the right track. "Could I show you something?"

David's eyes blow huge, and he looks about ready to run off. "You-"

A calming hand settles on Dave's shoulder. "Relax. I'm… I'm nothing like him." He pulls the carved wooden box from his coat pocket and offers it to the boy. "Don't worry, it won't hurt you. It's a dragon. And if it likes you, you can keep it."

Dave stares at him in confusion, but opens the box and removes the metallic dragon. He gasps when it moves on its own to settle around his index finger. "Whoa."

Balthazar's eyes fall closed. It's real. It's really happening. He's found the boy. "Dave, listen to me, okay? This is very important. That ring, it means that one day, you're going to be a very powerful sorcerer. But for now, it means that you are my apprentice. And as long as you're with me, nothing and no one will ever hurt you."

**8. This Is Home / Switchfoot**

The first time Balthazar meets Dave's parents, things do not go smoothly.

Granted, it's not like they're expecting to meet him or anything. In fact, the last time they'd checked, their son had been dating Becky. So, when they show up at Dave and Bennett's apartment and find some strange character that looks like he's just wandered in off the street pinning their son against a wall, their first reaction is to fear for David's safety.

It certainly doesn't help matters that Dave is squirming and trying to escape the well coordinated assault that Balthazar is orchestrating with lips and tongue and teeth against his neck in such a way that it actually looks as if he's being attacked. "Get off of me!" Dave protests, which also does not help convince his slack jawed parents that nothing is wrong. "Damn it, my parents will be here and you're-"

Dave's second attempt at freeing himself from the impressive hold Balthazar has on him proves effective, but only because his father crosses the room with an umbrella in hand, raised and prepared to hit the sorcerer with full force.

But Balthazar, while suitably distracted with his task of simultaneously pissing Dave off and turning him on, is not oblivious enough to miss seeing the attack coming. A quick flick of his hand and the rug under the man's feet slips out from under him.

"Dad!" David shouts in alarm, when he realizes what is happening over Balthazar's shoulder. "I swear that if you don't let go of me right now I will burn every single pair of weird shoes you own."

Balthazar laughs at him and mutters something that sounds like "I'd like to see you try,", but he let's go and backs away so that Dave's father doesn't get any further ideas.

"Honey," his mother cuts in, as she helps her husband to his feet, "Would you mind telling us just what is going on here? We… we thought that he," she gestures at Balthazar, "was attacking you!"

Dave ducks his head and pretends that he doesn't see Balthazar grin at the flush that colors his face. "No, Mom. He, ugh, was most definitely not attacking me. This is, ugh, my… Ugh, Balthazar. Balthazar, my parents, Joan and Mike. Balthazar will be joining us for dinner."

Awkward and still somewhat hostile handshakes are had all around following the introductions and Dave's mom only makes things all the more awkward when she innocently questions, "Isn't that lovely girl, Becky, coming with us, too?"

Balthazar tenses and Dave frowns at the mention of Becky's name. "She moved." Balthazar supplies, as he settles a hand on Dave's shoulder. "Out west or something, for college." While she and Dave had discussed it at length, that hardly means Dave had taken the move well.

Before Joan can offer up any reassuring comments, Mike cuts in, his inquiry directed at Balthazar. "Aren't you a little old to be involved with our son?" His tone suggests that he's still not too happy about what they walked in on.

Despite the awkwardness and the mounting tension in the room, Dave has to employ serious effort in not laughing at that. Balthazar's over 1300 years old – he wonders what they would say to that. But, Balthazar's lips quirk up in a small smile, as well, but he seems less than concerned about Dave's parents reservations on this. "You might think so. But Dave is mine and I am certainly not going anywhere."

**9. Parachute / Train**

They stand side by side on top of the Chrysler building looking down on the hustle and bustle of the night life of New York as it goes on all around them.

Dave stares down at the ground and it seems to get farther and farther away every time he looks at it. Then it all just seems really, really close. His palms sweat and his heart races and suddenly he isn't so sure that this had been a good idea.

"Balthazar, I don't-"

He doesn't even finish his attempt to escape this newest lesson, because his Master cuts him off. "I have one very important question for you, Dave."

He swallows and closes his eyes against the lights below. "W-what is it?"

"Do you trust me?"

Eyes open then, watching Balthazar carefully, like he's planning something that has the potential to be dangerous. The answer, however, takes no consideration at all. "Of course."

"Good. So you know that I wouldn't ask you to do this if I didn't think you could." It's not a question this time, just a statement, but Dave nods all the same, growing more and more suspicious. "And you know that I wouldn't do this if I didn't trust you, too."

Before Dave can ask what exactly all this is about, Balthazar's over the edge and falling and it's only when Dave sees the small, shiny object left behind on the rail that he realizes what's happening. Balthazar jumped without his ring, without his magic.

He grabs it up and follows Balthazar without a thought for his own safety. He's falling and falling and falling and suddenly he realizes just how close Balthazar is to the ground. He won't make it, Balthazar's going to splatter all over the concrete and he's not going to make it and then time slows down but he's still falling.

He sends the eagle to Balthazar first, it'll just waste time coming for him first, and Dave's positive that his heart actually stops for a few seconds when the huge, metallic creature stops his master's descent only feet from the sidewalk.

When the eagle catches him, too, and starts back up toward the roof, Dave's pretty sure he's hyperventilating or something because air just doesn't seem to want to do what it's supposed to and his head is spinning and he feels like he's going to be sick. He wobbles unsteadily where he sits and Balthazar has to brace him with his arms to keep him in place.

"Relax, kid. You did good." Balthazar tells him, when they're back on solid ground. He steps toward the edge again, but Dave hauls him away by the back of his shirt.

"No, no way. No way are you doing that to me again!" Dave says, through the deep breaths he has to take to force air into his lungs. And he's grabbing at Balthazar's hands and shoving the ring back where it belongs. "I caught you by seconds! That was not just a little bit insane. That was 100%, certifiable, death-wish insane, Balthazar."

Balthazar laughs and sits down against the wall opposite the ledge. "So you haven't noticed that your powers work spectacularly when I'm in trouble, then?" He muses, spinning his ring and very much not upset by almost dying.

When Dave is sure that he's not going to go bolting over the edge again, he sits down beside Balthazar and questions this most absurd theory. "Did you hit your head on the way down or something?"

"Let's recap, shall we? The knives Horvath threw at me – you stopped them when you had trouble levitating a chair. You held off Morgana's fire without your ring when she fired at us, and you defeated Morgana on your own, with… almost no training, really." Dave looks almost convinced by this point, but Balthazar isn't done yet. "And you brought me back to life. I can't do that, I'm not even sure Merlin could do that. If he could, he never taught us."

"But, why – Why do you…?" Dave's not even sure what he's trying to ask at this point.

Balthazar shrugs, "You tell me. It's your magic." He might have some idea, but it's not something he's willing to suggest aloud just yet. "As for the jump, I'm pretty sure it doesn't qualify as a death-wish when you have someone to stop you from falling."

**10. Falling For The First Time / Barenaked Ladies**

Dave returns from class to quite the surprise when Balthazar hauls him through the heavy metal door that leads down to the lab and then presses him back against it as it clicks shut. Hands catch his wrists and he's pinned in place. Before he has time to panic, or escape, or question this extremely odd welcoming, his Master's moving closer, pressing up against him in ways that make Dave squirm for reasons he wouldn't have expected.

"What're you-" Is all he manages before Balthazar's lips are on his and the only thing he can think of at all is that it was never like this when he was with Becky.

Balthazar bites at his lower lip and Dave opens his mouth obligingly, as hands work their way under several layers of coats and sweatshirts and undone over-shirts and t-shirts to get to bare skin. And it's certainly not the first time they've done this but it is the first time Balthazar has been so impulsive about it.

"Mm," Balthazar hums against his lips. "You're late for your lesson."

Dave's own fingers work at the buttons of Balthazar's dress shirt. "I had to stay and cover one of Professor Heiderman's Intro courses again." He inhales sharply when Balthazar moves to suck at a patch of sensitive skin just under his ear, and unshaven scruff scrapes against his neck. "They had a quiz, so I took the time to… to do some studying, too." The 'pocket-edition' of the Incantus is tucked into his coat pocket.

Balthazar tugs him forward, carefully leading him down the steps to the floor of the lab. A smirk plays across his face and he mumbles against his apprentice's neck as he shucks the numerous layers of shirts out of his way. "That's good, Dave. Cause we'll have a lot to cover later."


End file.
